Mainsheets

[wgfi]

Would a four or six part tackle on the end of the mainboom of a 330 sq ft mainsail be able to control it? What would the working load be?

[ikent]

That is about the size of the mainsail on my ketch and we use a cascading purchase that works well. It''s a 4:1 inside a 4:1 we have a 4:1 for coarse adjustment/light air and 16:1 to get that last little bit. So far we''re happy with this execution and we freed up winch!

Check out the Harken website they have rigging tips for various mainsheet configurations and sail areas.

Cheers!

[wgfi]

Thanks for the info. I guess since you added the cascade a four part is not enough purchase? I want to gain the winch but I am not sure how bad. How hard is yours to trim with the 4 part? Do you think a 6 part would handle all winds?

[ikent]

In a breeze the 4 part can be pretty tough for me to get all the way in, while a 6:1 would be easier it would still be pretty hard for my other half to manage. We looked at a 6:1 only but when I ran the numbers the 4:1/16:1 arrangement uses a little less line than a 6:1 would for our boat and breaks it up into two more managable chunks. We made the fine tune line smaller and a different color to help with quick identification.(Red 3/8" vs White 1/2" Sta Set) With this set up we can both sheet the main all the way in with no problems so far. Our take on it was that this system gave us all the adjustment we needed with less line in the cockpit than a 6:1 by itself. I can send you a drawing and a spec sheet of the parts, line and quantities I purchased for mine if that would help. Let me know what you decide.

Ike